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The town’s
day
September 27 will
be an historic day locally, as the new town
hall is formally dedicated with food, music,
speeches and the first official “Unity Day”
in the town’s history.
Anyone who has not had an opportunity to
tour through the Central Avenue and Vine
Street town hall should come and see the new
offices, the council chambers, the police
department, the large blown-up historic
photographs and the mosaic brought as a gift
from the people of San Gregorio, Italy that
was dedicated during the August 23 twinning
ceremony.
One of the more unique aspects of “Unity
Day” will be the “Entire Town Group Picture”
which will be taken in front of town hall on
the day of the dedication. Mayor John
DiDonato said he wanted everyone to be
together on that day, and hopes to give
anyone who would like one a copy of the
photo.
As a town, September 27 will mark the end of
a long chapter in this community’s history.
The town hall issue has already receded into
the background, along with any controversy.
It is time to put the past behind all of us,
and unite in celebration of the town’s
achievement.
We know we’ll be among the many people
standing and smiling for the first-ever
“Entire Town Group Picture” – a picture we
look forward to printing in the pages of The
Gazette.
Mark the date on your calendar: September
27. In all likelihood, there is only going
to be one dedication of a new town hall in
your lifetime. The last time the town
dedicated a brand-new town hall built from
the ground up was in 1887.
See you at the corner of Central Avenue and
Vine Street in a few weeks.
After all, how often do you have a chance to
be a part of history?
A new nightlife
It looks like as
the days grow shorter, the nights will
become more active – particularly in the
downtown area.
Last week, people sat at café-style tables
outside of Annata, the town’s new wine bar,
and Casciano, the local coffee shop. Across
the street, tables were filled at
Marcello’s, which is undergoing a renovation
and upgrades to its menu.
It was a beautiful night on August 28, and
people lingered inside and outside of
buildings, walked up and down the streets
looking in windows of stores, and spent time
catching up with each other as the summer
vacation season drew to a close.
As the fall nears, there will be many
opportunities for people to come together
again at these restaurants, as well as
favorites like Rocco’s Town House, the West
End Grille, Illiano’s and Fiesta Mexicana
(These last two have seen recent major
renovations as well.)
Restaurants aren’t like other businesses;
they create a sense of place that makes
people want to congregate and linger for
hours. It was obvious last week that
downtown Hammonton had become the kind of
place where people didn’t mind sitting and
watching the world go by while listening to
some music, viewing some art, drinking some
wine or coffee, and having some dinner.
The next few months should be a vibrant time
for restaurants in the downtown – and the
entire town. Hammonton has some of the best
food in the region, and with an expanding
list of dining opportunities, it now has
some of the best reasons to stay out late
and socialize.
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